Divisible carton



0t.,1o,1944.' L, P, GREC@ 2,359,986

DIVIS IBLE CARTON Filed Nov. 21, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheetl //7 vena,

L ou' Grec can Oct. l0, 1944. l.. P. GREcco DIVISIBLE CARTON F1181 Nov. 21, 1941 Patented Oei. `10, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIVISIBLE CARTON Louis P. ('irecco, Portland, Oreg.

Application November 2l, 1941, Serial No. 420,007

Claims.

This invention relates to aA divisible carton that may be divided into two equal halves. More specifically it relates to a divisible carton without any inside partitions, as such cartons have been made.

It is an object of this invention to make available a carton capable of ready division into two equal halves, the open ends resulting from severance being elosable by folding over flaps of what was initially the top of the carton. thus providing integral closures for both open ends.

Itis a further object of the invention to so preform the cut carton material that when the end closing aps are folded over as stated in the first object, a pair of carrying handles are exposed for each of the severed half size cartons.

It is another and very important object to provide a blank properly cut and scored along the required lines, to be capable of folding, and that shall be al1 in one piece, so that making a carton from a fiat stamped blank shall not require the workman to have at hand more than one preformed piece from which to fold up a carton.

These and other objects that will be apparent to those skilled in the paper box art, constitute the purposes of the present invention.

Drawings accompany and form a part of this disclosure and show a structure which completely satisfies the objects above stated, in which- Fig. 1 is a stretchout or blank, cut and scored in such manner that it readily folds into the finished double carton, Fig. 2;

-Fig. 2, as stated, is the folded result of the blank shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away to show the relative position of the different divisions and subdivisions;

Fig. 3 will be considered to be the right hand end of the full sized carton shown in Fig. 2, after severance;

Fig. 4 is a view of the opposite end of Fig. 2, in perspective, in which the end closing flapy has been loosened and is ready to complete the closing of the open end; and

Fig. 5 is a severed one-half'part such as Fig. 4, except that the closure of the open end has been finished and the carrying handles raised up ready for use.

In the drawings, a complete cut or severance of the flat material of the original sheet of material from which the stretchout will be cut by a die, is represented by solid lines as is conventional in mechanical drafting; a scorerepresenting such preparation of the material so that it Will readily fold along that line is represented by a dotted line; and the double dotted line l0 in the median area of Fig. 2 indicates the severance line for dividing the carton and may or may not be actually scored according to choice.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the blank is ing flap 9 at the left hand end of the figure, and that the severance line I0 is in the median partl of the figure. The areas respectively numbered I, 2, 3 and 4 fold together to form a double bottom of the whole carton save for a space left at the severance line as shown at 5 in Fig. 3, which is of course only half the width of the space, there being another equal space on the other half.

The areas represented by the letter E will be the two endsof the carton of Fig. 2; the areas designated by the letter S will be the sides and the areas designated TI, T2, T3 and T4 will then readily fold together and overlap to make the top of the main carton of Fig. 2 in the same way that areas l, 2, 3 and 4 fold at right angles and overlap to form the bottom as described.

So far, the foregoing description Will be recognized as standard for a blank designed for folding into a carton and if I stopped here, there would be no novel feature whatever; but I make an extension flap 2n so that both top end pieces TI and T3 will be double as shown. These areas 20 are scored and folded back as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, being lightly held in place by paste or other means, from which situation they can be readily dislodged after the main carton is cut into two parts on the line I0, Fig.I 2; and these flaps '20 then become readily applicable end closures for the open ends resulting from dividing the carton, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

A flap, 2|, may be provided for pasting under the bottom as shown in Fig. 5, but it is thought that the retailer dividing the carton will prefer to use the well known gummed paper tapes so widely used in place of wrapping cord for this purpose. It is now seen that the first and third stated objects have been fully satisfied.

To provide the handles o'f the second object, I provide two rectangular openings, 25 and 26, in the upper or end portions of the top closure, Tl and T3, which, as will be readily seen, overlay the parts T2 and T4 and hence the handles 30, 3 I, 32 and 33 can readily be pulled up through the rectangular openings.

The manner in which the parts register in usable relationship is clearly shown in Fig. 3 and the manner of putting them in use is shown in Fig. 5. To facilitate division of the carton into two parts, I make the cuts 28 and 2l, which in a carton not intended for severance into two parts would not be needed.

It will be seen that there are no unusual folds and that the blank can be die-cut from proper sized sheets with a minimum of waste.

Having disclosed my invention as required by statute, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A divisible carton comprising a single sheet fiat blank cut scored and folded into a rectangureally a right and left duplicate Save fOr the 50111- lar carton having bottom, sides and top, and

with end and side folding flaps for the top, characterized by the end folding flaps for the top being doubled back outwardly from the center, the inner portions thereof integrally attached to opposite 4vertical wallsv with the folds on the median center line of the carton and the outer portions removably held in place with the folds abutting and said outer portions having a width not less than the depth of the box to close the same when folded reversely over, the inner course of the end iiaps being provided with rectangular openings and the side aps next beneath having cut out handle portions liftable therethrough when the top course is moved away.

2. A single sheet divisible carton blank comprising cut and scored areas arranged for bending and securing the carton into vrectangular form, with top and bottom flap closures, the top closure comprising folded double course Ytop flaps with their free ends outside at the ends of the carton and the folds adjacent and substantially abutting at the transverse median portion of the carton, inner flaps having liftable handle portions underlying each of said folded top flaps, the formed carton being divisible at its median girth portion, the said end iiaps being foldable backover the open ends resulting from division, t close the same; the said handle portions of each half carton being exposed when the top flap is folded over the severed end.

3. In a carton adapted to be cut into two equal parts, a bottom course comprising plural partially overlapping iiaps, single thickness sides and ends and two plural layer top closures, the upper two courses of the top being single sheets folded on their median portions back to the end in each case with the folds adjacent and with the free ends outside, the inside limits of said sheets integrally attached to opposite vertical walls of the carton, the outer top course being wider than the depth of the carton and having a flap portion to fold under the carton when the outer course is used to close the open end resulting from cutting.

4. A carton adapted to be cut into two equal parts, -comprising a bottom course comprising four partially overlapping flaps, single thickness sides and ends and two plural layer top closures, the upper two courses of the top closure folded on their median portions back to the end with the free ends outside in each case, the opposite limit of each inside portion integrally attached to a vertical side of the carton and adhesiveiy attached to carton members beneath them, the outer folded back flaps having a length and width not less than the cut open ends, the lower members of the folded top :courses provided with openings with courses beneath said openings including handlepmembers liftable therethrough.

5. A rectangular divisible carton comprising a single blank, cut, scored, folded and secured to form overlapping bottom members, single course sides and ends with a triple course top, the lower course of the top integral with the sides and the upper two courses being single sheets integral with each end and folded back intermediate the provided in the middle memberV thereof through which said handles are liftable.

6. A rectangular divisible carton comprising a single blank, cut, scored, folded and secured to form overlapping bottom members. single course sides and ends with a triple course top, the lower course of the top integral with the sides and the upper two courses being single sheets intelength so that the folds abut near the center of l the carton, the said upper course detachably attached to the lower courses and adhesively attached to' the inner course of the top, handle members formed in the lowermost of the triple top closure courses and rectangular openings gral with each end and folded back intermediate the length so that the folds abut near the center of the carton, the said upper course detachably attached to the lower courses and adhesively attached to the inner course of the top and handle members cut in one of the courses below the folded topmost member, which are exposed when said topmost member is folded away.

7. A divisible carton formed from a single sheet, cut, scored and folded along scored lines to form a carton with single thickness ends and sides, overlapping bottom members and plural overlapping top members, the outer course of the top being doubled back portions of the lower course, the resulting folds abutting at the median division line of the carton, the free end of the doubled back course outside, the inner courses unitary with opposite vertical carton walls, one of the folds overlapped by the doubled back part having a handle member formed integrally, which is exposed when the top fold is moved to the end.4

8. A divisible carton formed from a single sheet, cut, scored and folded along scored lines to form a carton with single thickness ends and sides, overlapping bottom members and plural overlapping top members, the outer course of the top being doubledback portions of the lower course, the resulting folds abutting at the median division line of the carton, the free end of the doubled back course outside, the inner courses unitary with opposite vertical carton Walls, said inner courses provided with openings and courses next beneath provided with handle members liftable through said openings.

9. In a rectangular divisible carton comprising a single blank cut scored and folded to form front, rear end bottom and a plural thickness top wall, top `walls including a doubled top wall portion comprising two sheets of material integrally connected to opposite vertical walls, the said sheets being folded outwardly back upon themselves with the folds thereof extending along the transverse median line of the carton, and the free ends thereof at the ends of the carton the inner members of said sheets being securely attached to carton members beneath them, the upper member thereof detachably attached to the lower one, each upper member being of such size that when the carton is divided between the adjacent folds it can be detached'and folded over to form a closure for the cut end on that part of the carton to which it is integrally attached.

10. 'I'he structure claimed in claim 9 and including pairs of handle members cut from the inner course of the top and left fiat, the said handles being so formed that they are liftable upwardly and outwardly when they upper members of the top are detached and folded back to close open ends resulting from severance of the carton into two smaller cartons.

LOUIS P. GRECCO. 

